#BlackFriday: Holiday Recipe: Love Me to Death by Marissa Clarke

Black Friday is here and we’re discussing the season with Marissa Clarke’s Nikolai Itzov from Love Me to Death.

What you want the most just might kill you…

Medical research scientist Elena Arcos has always lived her life under the radar. When she is shot in a convenience store robbery, Elena finds herself rocketed into supernatural insanity courtesy of a sexy immortal law enforcer. He’s convinced she’s some kind of freaky half-vampire thin and that her deceased dad was the real deal: a blood sucking monster. Yeah, right.

Nikolai Itzov never anticipated battling the urge to kiss the offspring of his father’s murderer. As a slayer, and elite law enforcer descended from Azrael himself, his orders from the Underveil General are clear: Kill her or die.

Nikolai and Elena find themselves in a life and death battle to stop a plot designed to lift the Underveil and enslave humans. With her analytical mind and his centuries of training, they might be able to foil the plot with their lives and maybe their hearts intact. But in order to succeed, he must help her become the very thing he hates the most: an Undead.

Make sure you stick around to the end. We’ll be giving away a $10 Amazon Giftcard plus earn another entry into the Black Friday $50 Amazon giftcard giveaway. _____________________________________________

Happy holidays, everyone! I’m excited to be here today, but unfortunately, the hero from Love Me to Death was not nearly as enthusiastic when I told him his assignment from the awesome folks here, at Literary Escapism.

Nikolai Itzov doesn’t shop—not even when I ask him nicely—not even when I tell him it would be entertaining to see him walk through a crowded shopping mall on Black Friday. But, I guess this is one of the reasons I love him so much. He doesn’t do things to please others. So, I pushed harder, and he pushed back, saying that he would never lift the human veil in a situation like that, as it would be a breech in the Slayer Code. He’d just be walking around invisible. (Yawn) Not very entertaining.

So, since Nikolai is a jerk and refuses to shop, and since the holidays are a time for sharing food and recipes, I’d like to share my recipe for Love Me to Death. A great dish for the holidays!

1 Slayer male (hero): Descendent of Azrael, the angel of death. Purpose driven, loyal, fearless, great with a sword—literally and metaphorically. This ingredient tends to be tough. Soften slightly before adding to recipe. (suggested method of tenderizing: a strong willed human female with questionable immortal ties)

1 strong willed human female with questionable immortal ties (heroine): A medical researcher. Smart, open-minded and ready to accept a challenge. Not willing to take crap off of anyone or anything. Able to break through the hard veneer of an overbearing alpha male in order to get to the soft, sweet center, which makes this dish really tasty.

1 male Time Folder: Good luck finding this ingredient. He’s not even from this planet—and also not nearly as sweet as he looks. A key component to this recipe with an ability to go back in time to witness crimes, you must have him in order for the recipe to work out correctly.

1 mumu-wearing, crazy cat lady sorceress: This ingredient will add texture and lightness. Watch out not to add too much. It can completely change the outcome of the recipe.

1 mysterious, ancient male empath vampire:Be sure to hold out some of this ingredient to be used for later. Added all at once, he’ll overpower the first two ingredients, which are the main focus of this dish.

1 female light elf:Again, add sparingly. Though essential, she tends to be overly sweet and will take the edge off of the first two ingredients.

2 villians: You will want to use all of the first, but hold out most of the second for use later. Full of body and texture, these villains add a salty flavor to the recipe, but can also make it bitter.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Add first two ingredients (hero and heroine) and mix well.

Note: at this point, the recipe will heat up to the point you may want to let it stand before adding other ingredients.

Clarify the villains in a separate bowl and set aside.

When hero/heroine mixture is cool enough to handle, add the Time Folder and sorceress. This will complicate things, so give it time to rest again before adding the next ingredient: empath vampire. This ingredient is often difficult to fold in because it doesn’t mix well with the others.

When plot is no longer lumpy, fold in the villains slowly. Mix thoroughly.

Add shape shifters, elves, vampires, and random immortals to taste, and serve. This recipe is served hot. Very hot at times.

Enjoy!

Marissa Clarke ______________________

Meet Marissa Clarke!

Marissa Clarke lives in Texas, where everything is bigger, especially the mosquitoes. When not writing, she wrangles her rowdy pack of three teens, husband, and a Cairn Terrier named Annabel, who rules the house (and Marissa’s heart) with an iron paw. She loves to connect with readers, so follow/friend her on Facebook and Twitter (buttons in the bar above), or shoot her an email from the “Contact” page. Marissa Clarke is a pseudonym for Mary Lindsey and she also writes young adult novels for Penguin USA.

Contest Details

Thank you Marissa for taking part in Literary Escapism’s Black Friday!

Marissa is giving away a $10 Amazon Giftcard. To enter, all you have to do is answer this one question: Which ingredient from this recipe intrigues you the most? Remember, you must answer the question in order to be entered.

Have you checked out the other Black Friday contests yet? Check out the Master List to see all the Black Friday giveaways and make sure to get your entry in for the $50 giftcard giveaway. All Black Friday contests will remain open until December 31st. All giveaways are subject to LE’s Giveaway Policy.

Share the Love:

Like this:

I am a 30-something SAHM with two adorable boys and a supportive husband who is very tolerant of my reading addiction. I love to read and easily go through about a dozen books a month – well I did before I had kids. Now, not so much. After my first son was born, I began to take my hobby of reviewing a little more serious and started Literary Escapism to help with my sanity. I love to discuss the fabulous novels I’ve read and meeting all the wonderful people in the book blogging community has been amazing.